Soccer Headline

Friday September 1, 2000UF Soccer Opens Home Season with 5-0 Win Over USF

The No. 10 University of Florida soccer team opened its home season with a shutout victory over South Florida in front of a Percy Beard Stadium crowd of 1,284. The Gators turned in their highest offensive output of the season, defeating the Bulls 5-0. UF now moves to 2-1 for the season, while USF drops to 0-2.

Junior All-American Andi Sellers got the Gators on the board early, hitting a 16-yard low shot off a give-and-go from freshman Kelley Visentin at 1:10. That was the end of the scoring for the rest of the first half and for the opening 25 minutes of the second half. But a nine-minute span beginning at 71:00 yielded four goals for the Gators. Junior All-American Abby Wambach scored two consecutive goals, beginning at 71:00 with a diving three-yard header off a cross sent in by sophomore Erica "Boo" Schubert. At 77:10, Wambach hit an 18-yarder from a sharp left angle to put the Gators up 3-0. At 79:00, sophomore Kristin Fisher hit a two-yard shot off the cross from Wambach for her first collegiate goal. Sellers finished off Florida's scoring with a penalty kick at 80:00.

For the match, the Gators outshot the Bulls 15-5. Regan Wiesemann, making her first start in goal this season for the Gators, registered two saves, while USF's Valerie Wetzel turned in five saves.

Florida Head Coach Becky Burleigh watched Friday's action from the stands, as she was serving her penalty for receiving a red-card in the Gators' last match at Miami.

"Tonight was a great opportunity for everyone to get a chance to play and for us to gain confidence. It was just what we needed," she said.

The Gators return to action on Sunday, Sept. 3 when they play host to No. 14 UCLA. Match time is set for 2 p.m. at the Percy Beard Stadium.